Adhesive compositions, particularly conductive adhesives, are used for a variety of purposes in the fabrication and assembly of semiconductor packages and microelectronic devices. The more prominent uses include bonding of electronic elements such as integrated circuit chips to lead frames or other substrates, and bonding of circuit packages or assemblies to printed wire boards. Adhesives useful for electronic packaging applications typically exhibit properties such as good mechanical strength, curing properties that do not affect the component or the carrier, and thixotropic properties compatible with application to microelectronic and semiconductor components.
One class of adhesive compositions used in the production of microelectronic packages is mold compositions or over-mold compositions. The primary function of mold compositions is to provide environmental protection and electrical insulation to the package. Typically, mold compositions are composed of epoxy resins, some type of filler, and a curing initiator. Although epoxy resins have utility as mold compounds, there is still a need for mold compounds with higher adhesion to metal substrates than is presently-available. The present invention addresses this need.